Danger, Do Not Enter!
by VintageNicky
Summary: "So go on, how d'you hide a place like Hogwarts?" "It's bewitched, if a Muggle looks at it, all they see is a mouldering old ruin with a sign over the entrance saying DANGER, DO NOT ENTER, UNSAFE." Rated K for now but Rating will probably change. Non-Canon Pairing.


**I have been trying to get back to my other stories, but my brain is not functioning properly. I have the ideas, I know what I want to write, but it won't come out! It's very frustrating. Anyway, for anyone who reads any of my other stories, I am soooo sorry that I haven't updated in forever. As previously stated, my brain isn't working! I will try to get them updated as soon as possible, but for now, please don't leave me :'(**

***So I wrote the first few chapters of this and then remembered that Hagrid was not meant to arrive back at school till later in the year, but I didn't want to go back and change it all. It still all makes sense I think, it's just not completely in keeping with the book – which let's be honest, it wouldn't be anyway, because I've also added a new character. Anyway, I have a plan for how to get back to as-near-as canon as possible…let's just hope it works the way I think it will.***

**This has no beta, which you can probably tell, but I like to do most of the work myself. It has been read by my housemate, so I guess its kinda beta'd but not by someone on here. Anyway, if there are any mistakes, Im sorry, and I will try to fix them as soon as I can.**

**Let me know what you think.**

* * *

"_So go on, how d'you hide a place like Hogwarts?"_

"_It's bewitched, if a Muggle looks at it, all they see is a mouldering old ruin with a sign over the entrance saying DANGER, DO NOT ENTER, UNSAFE."_

* * *

Alice Hudson was a daredevil.

At least, that's what most people called her when she came up with crazy schemes or wanted to visit the strangest places. Her friends had learnt not to question her, as Alice always seemed to have the right ideas or feelings about a place; if Alice thought something would be amazing, it usually was.

The problem with Alice's daredevil tendencies was that she could never resist a challenge, and 'Do not enter' always seemed to be the biggest one.

Today was no exception.

She had been hiking through the countryside with her group of friends, when she had felt a pull towards a forest and the winding road that led her to her latest challenge.

The creaking gates, the winding overgrown path and the small glimpse of a grand yet ruined castle seemed to be calling her, begging her to enter. Her best friend Amy, however, didn't feel the same.

"No way, I'm not going in there." Amy said as she backed away, shaking her head as she looked up at the decaying ruin. She usually went along with Alice's 'feelings' about a place, and followed where she led, but there was something about this place that made her want to turn around and run.

"Oh come on, it'll be fun." Alice laughed, scanning the gate and its surroundings for the easiest entry point. The gate was tall and wide, and looked very sturdy for what felt like an old place. It would be impossible to push open, but the twisting pattern of the bars would make it easy to climb.

Amy let out a humourless laugh, "That's what you said last year, at that castle in Ireland. And then I broke my leg, sprained my wrist and had to wear that horrible neck brace for three weeks. Nope, not happening again."

Alice rolled her eyes and dropped her backpack to the floor, rooting through a pocket to find the rope she always carried. "How was I supposed to know it would collapse like that?" She fastened one end of the rope around the bag, and the other around her belt. Slowly, choosing her path carefully, she started to rise up the creaking gate.

"The big ol' 'Danger' signs are normally the giveaway." Amy pointed at the sign on the centre of the gate. 'DANGER, DO NOT ENTER, UNSAFE'.

A teasing smile flashed across her face as she pulled her bag up and dropped it quickly over to the other side. "Nah, that's just to stop the boring people."

"Well then right now I'm one of them. Carry on if you want, but I'm going back. If you're not back soon, I'll send Jack to look for you, but I am not going in there."

"Fine, but you're missing out." Alice jumped, landing with a thump on the dusty path. She didn't notice Amy running back the way they had come, or the strange humming sound that surrounded her. Her eyes were drawn towards the grand castle, the thrill of adventure already pumping through her. "I can feel it; this place is amazing."

As he left the office of his Head of House, Harry Potter let out a few silent curse words, trying to calm himself down. It was true he needed to control his temper, as McGonagall had rightly said, but it was a hard task to accomplish with Umbridge's words spiralling around his mind.

How dare she call him a liar; he had seen Cedric being killed, it wasn't an accident. He had seen Voldemort return, Umbridge and the rest of the interfering Ministry needed to accept that.

He made his way back up through the castle, walking out into one of the many courtyards for some much needed fresh air. His scar was pricking again, though he did not fool himself that anyone would find that very unusual any more. In the past, his scar hurting had warned that Voldemort was getting stronger again, but now that he was back, its regular irritation was probably to be expected.

A bell sounded loudly around him signalling the end of lesson, and the start of the next. With a deep sigh Harry gathered his school bag, which he had unceremoniously dropped against the nearest wall, and started to make his way back to the common room for his first free period. As he turned however, he spotted a girl walking across the grounds.

Normally, this would not have caught his attention; students often wandered around the grounds in their free time, trying to find a good place to relax or study. But this girl looked out of place, with her muggle clothes and the huge bag on her back. She was staring up at the castle in wonder, reminding Harry of his first glimpse of Hogwarts.

Alice couldn't believe her eyes. Though it had looked like a ruin from the gate, the castle with its many grand turrets and towers now loomed over her. What amazed her even more was that she could clearly see people inside through the tall windows. Were they adventure seekers too, simply ignoring the danger signs as she had herself? No, there were too many for that, and they all seemed to be wearing the same thing, a uniform of sorts.

She was brought out of her musings as a black haired boy approached her, wearing the same black uniform as those she had seen inside.

"Excuse me." He said, looking at her with a quizzical expression, glancing at her bag. "Are you lost?"

"Uh... I don't know really." Alice didn't know what to say. Was she lost? Quite possibly. "What is this place? I thought it was a ruin, that's what the sign says."

The boy's expression grew wary. "Right." He paused for a moment, looking towards the castle quickly, then back towards her. "Come with me." He started walking towards the castle, looking back to see if she was following.

Alice hesitated for just a second. Should she go? She didn't know this boy, or this place. She should just turn around and leave. That's what any normal person would do.

But Alice wasn't normal. She was starting to get another one of those feelings, and it was telling her she needed to be inside this castle.

The boy led her through a small courtyard and down many winding corridors filled with chattering teenagers, where she heard strange words like 'Quidditch' and whispered utterances of 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named' and 'Harry Potter'.

They climbed many sets of stairs, the boy seeming to stop at each one for a moment before continuing on his way up. He glanced at her only a few times to check she was keeping up, but seemed to be quite focused on where he was taking her. They walked along another winding corridor, and finally, they came to a halt in front of a large statue of a gargoyle that stood against the wall.

"Acid Pops," said the boy, and the gargoyle leapt aside; the wall behind it slid apart, and a spiral stone staircase was revealed, onto which the boy stepped. He turned and gestured for Alice to follow. As she started to climb the steps however, the steps started to move. The boy reached out to steady her as they were carried in smooth circles up to a door with a brass knocker.

The boy knocked and waited, looking towards Alice again.

"Come in," said a voice behind the door. The boy opened the door and stepped inside.

"Good afternoon, sir," said Harry, walking into the headmaster's office, the girl following close behind him.

Dumbledore was seated at his desk, his half-moon spectacles slipping down his nose as he surveyed Harry and the mysterious girl behind him. "Good afternoon, Harry. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Harry didn't know how to explain, though it should have been easy. "I found someone wandering in the grounds; she doesn't seem to know where she is. I thought it best to bring her to you, sir."

"Indeed yes, that was a very good idea. Please, sit."

Harry took a seat in front of the desk and waited for the girl to sit too, though she seemed more interested with the items that surrounded the office. Harry couldn't blame her for that, Dumbledore's office held a vast array of wonderful objects that could hold anyone attention.

"So, my dear, could you kindly tell me who you are?

The girl stopped her perusal of the office, and focused at last on Dumbledore. "Oh, yes. My name is Alice. Alice Hudson."

"Nice to meet you Alice. My name is Albus Dumbledore; I am the Headmaster of this school. Tell me dear, how did you come to be here?"

"Well that's easy. I climbed over the gate." She pursed her lips, the shadow of a smile evident even as she tried to hide it. "I probably shouldn't have done that, but I can't resist 'Do Not Enter' signs." She paused for a moment, her brow furrowing in thought. "Why does your school have signs to warn people away?"

For a moment Dumbledore looked shocked, such a small moment that Harry might have missed it if he hadn't been watching his Headmasters reactions closely. But then his expression changed back to that of curiousness. He stood and crossed to one of the many bookcases, muttering to himself as he ran his fingers along the books.

"Interesting. The signs, she saw the signs. The gate wouldn't open for her, but she was able to cross the barrier; the charms do not affect her. Why do the charms not affect her?" He pulled a large leather bound book from the topmost shelf and started to flip through the pages, stopping at one and running his finger down the page. He stopped when he got to the middle, and furrowed his brows, looking intently at the page. "Curious, very curious."

Just as Harry was about to speak, the girl…Alice, beat him to it. "I'm sorry, sir. But what is curious?"

The old man sat back down and placed the book on the desk in front of him. "This is a rather important book. When a child is born of magic, their name appears in this book and others like it at other schools. Each year, myself or the Deputy Head, Professor McGonagall, looks over the list and send a letter to each child that is named here. You will remember, Harry, receiving your own letter." His eyes twinkled. "Though yours was definitely not the easiest delivery."

The boy, Harry, let out a short laugh. "No sir, it wasn't."

Dumbledore continued. "When the letters are delivered, a reply must be sent as to whether the child will be accepting their place at the school." He paused, turning the book around. He pointed down at a name.

Alice Hudson. X ?

"I…What?"

He picked up the book and returned it to its shelf. "I remember now, when we received your reply we were most perplexed as to why you would not be taking your place. Coming from a well-known Wizarding family, it was expected that you would attend, yet when we contacted your family there was no reply. I myself travelled to your house to enquire about it, but it was empty when I got there."

Well-known Wizarding family? What?

"This is a wind up, right?" Alice said as she stood from her seat. She looked around the room, not sure what she was looking for. A camera maybe? "Did Amy put you up to this? Is she trying to get back at me for dragging her along to all those weird places?"

"I can assure you, Miss Hudson, that I am telling you the truth. I gather from your surprise, that you did not know of your parent's, or your own, magical ability?"

Alice observed Dumbledore, pausing for a moment to consider what he was saying. He was either crazy, and trying to include her in his delusions. Or what he was saying was true; that she was a witch.

Bizarrely, the second option seemed easier for her to believe. She could feel it. Maybe that's what her feelings were; magic.

She sat back down and took a deep breath before she replied. "No, I didn't know. I mean, I don't know my Dad anyway. He died a few months after I was born, so I'm told at least. It's just been me and Mum, we move around a lot. I told her that's where I get my curious nature from, always looking for a new adventure." She stopped for a moment and frowned. "Why would she keep something like this from me? Don't I have a right to know?"

Dumbledore smiled, though it seemed sad. "I'm sure she had her reasons."

Harry was stunned. More than anything, he felt sorry for Alice. He could imagine how she might be feeling.

That could easily have been him.

If the Dursley's had replied to say he wouldn't be attending, rather than simply ignoring the letter, would that have been the end of it? Or would they still have sent Hagrid to get him. He hoped for the latter, but he couldn't help wondering what would have happened if they didn't.

He might never have known about Hogwarts, the truth about himself and his parents. Voldemort would have returned with the aide of the philosopher's stone, and Harry would most likely be dead by now.

"What happens now?" Harry asked, breaking the silence.

Dumbledore looked thoughtful. "Well we have two choices. Alice can choose to forget what she has learnt here, about herself and Hogwarts and magic. I will have to modify your memory, dear girl, but you can continue with your normal life as if this never happened." He paused as Alice looked up at him, the shock off what he was saying clear on her face. "Or, you can choose to embrace it. To attend the school and finally follow the path you were denied."

Alice couldn't think straight. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, and yet at the same time she knew what she wanted…no, needed to do.

"I can really do that?"

"If that is what you choose."

"Yes." The answer came quickly, without her having to think about it.

Dumbledore clapped his hands together, a huge smile crossing his face and making his eyes twinkle even more. "Splendid. First things first, you must send a letter to your Mother, telling her of your decision. Next, you must get yourself a uniform and the proper equipment for your classes." He paused and picked a piece of parchment of the desk. Then he took out a wand, a long knotted one that looked ancient, and tapped the parchment once. "It would be unfitting to place you in first year because of your age, though you will have to do some extra work to catch up the years you have missed. If you are anything like your Mother, I expect you will catch up very quickly." He smiled and slipped the parchment across the desk.

Alice took the parchment and started reading the list. Dumbledore took another piece of parchment and a quill and wrote a short letter, folded it and handed it to Harry, along with a small brown pouch he had taken from a shelf.

"Take Miss Hudson to see Hagrid and give him this note, he will accompany her to Diagon Alley to acquire her school things. You are welcome to join her Harry, as long as Hagrid agrees."

"He's back?"

"Yes, he returned this morning. He should be back to his normal lessons soon, but Professor Grubbly-Plank will remain for the next week or so."

Harry nodded, taking the note and the bag, and slipping them into his pocket.

"Before you go, there is one final thing we must do." Dumbledore stood and crossed the room, taking a tattered looking hat off a shelf. He smiled down at the hat before looking back up to Alice. "Normally this is done in the first year, at the starting feast. Students place the hat on their head, and they are sorted into their houses."

"Houses?"

"Yes, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin.

Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honour. I hope you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours."

Alice looked at the hat warily. How did this hat sort students into their houses?

Dumbledore placed the hat on her head, and waited.

'_Hmm…interesting. I wondered when I'd finally be seeing you.' _Said a voice in Alice's head. Was that the hat?_ 'Plenty of courage and determination. A great love of adventure, your quite a brave one, aren't you? Well this is very easy then.'_

"Gryffindor!"

Dumbledore grinned and took off the hat, placing it back on its shelf. "Congratulations." He said as he turned back to Alice. "Gryffindor is a wonderful house, though I may be biased as that was my house. Harry here is also a Gryffindor, so he shall be able to show you where to go and what the password is. You will not be able to enter your house without the password, so try to remember them when they change. For that reason, I always keep mine rather simple, but the prefects choose the passwords for their houses."

Alice had the strangest urge to laugh at the absurdity of the Headmaster. He was unlike any Headmaster she had ever met, and she had met many over the years. But there was a certain charm about him, something that made him seem trustworthy and kind.

"Thank you sir, I'll keep that in mind." She said, her voice breaking slightly with a laugh.

"Feel free to come to me should you need anything, I'm usually here in my office. Though I think Harry and the rest of your house should be able to help with most things. We seem to be out of time for now," There was a knock at the door. "So I shall bid you good-day, and I shall see you both at dinner."

"Goodbye sir." Harry said as he stood to leave. When he opened the door, a tall dark haired man with a mean looking sneer stood blocking their way.

"Potter." He muttered in a petulant, child-like tone as Harry stepped aside to let him in.

"Professor Snape." Harry muttered in the same tone, not even glancing at the man as he left the room, Alice following close behind.

Harry lead the way down the stairs from Dumbledore's office, and back along the winding corridor to the main staircases. "We'll stop by the common room before we go to Hagrid's; you can leave your bag there and I'll quickly get changed. I don't really fancy walking around Diagon Alley in my uniform."

"You don't have to come, if you don't want." Alice said quickly, not wanting to cause him any problems if he had plans.

Harry caught sight of Umbridge on one of the lower stairs, and a scowl crossed his face. "Trust me; I could do with some time out of here."

Alice followed his gaze and saw a dumpy looking woman wearing a lot of pink. Her gut instinct told her to keep away from this woman, as though she radiated evil. "Who's that?"

Harry walked quickly into the opposite corridor, wanting to get out of sight of the woman in question. "Delores Umbridge. She's the new DADA teacher." Seeing the blank look on Alice's face, Harry continued. "Defence Against the Dark Arts. I've only had one lesson with her…actually, I guess it was half a lesson as she kicked me out…anyway, I've had half a lesson with her, and I already can't stand her. We're all hoping the job really is cursed; then at least we're only stuck with her this year."

"Cursed?"

"Yeah, apparently it's cursed. The teachers never last more than a year, she's my fifth since being here. Third year was the best, Professor Lupin. He was a brilliant teacher, I learnt more with him than any other year."

"What happened to him?"

Harry shrugged. "He resigned, wanted to leave before he got the sack." He shrugged and turned a corner.

Alice was confused. Would they get rid of a good teacher? "Why would he be sacked if he was a good teacher?"

"It's…complicated."

As they reached the end of the corridor, Alice looked up at the large portrait in front of them. It showed a very fat woman in a pink silk dress. Alice was just about to ask why they had stopped, when the portrait spoke.

"Password?" She said.

"Mimbulus Mimbletonia." Harry said clearly. The Fat Lady nodded gently, and the portrait swung open to reveal a circular opening in the wall. Alice stared in wonder, still baffled by the talking portrait.

Harry stepped through, holding his hand out to help Alice as two people came towards them. Alice could hear a lot of laughing and talking inside. She wanted to take a look, but she didn't want to walk straight in, not knowing where she was going. What if she walked into the boy's dorm by accident? That would be so embarrassing!

"Hold the door Harry!" Shouted the ginger boy.

The bushy haired girl next to him rolled her eyes and slapped him lightly on the arm. "Stop shouting Ronald."

"Well he wouldn't have heard me otherwise."

"But he doesn't need to hold it, we know the password."

Harry shook his head but smiled all the same. "Could you two quit arguing and get in, we're in a hurry."

The ginger haired boy looked puzzled. "We?" He reached the entrance and looked past Harry, catching sight of Alice as she waited.

"Oh, hello." Said the girl, smiling as she climbed through the hole in the wall.

"Hi."

"Who's that?" said the boy, pulling the portrait shut behind him, and staring openly at Alice. She squirmed slightly, feeling uncomfortable under his scrutiny.

Again, the girl slapped him on the arm. "Don't be rude, Ronald, stop staring."

"'Mione, stop slapping me."

"Well I wouldn't have to if you weren't being rude."

Harry clapped his hands to stop what would have been another mini argument. "Ron, Hermione, this is Alice, she just arrived today. We can talk later, like I said we're in a bit of a hurry." Before either of them could argue, Harry led Alice into the common room.

Alice stared around at the large, cosy room. Everywhere she looked groups of students were laughing, talking, playing games and eating some of the most amazing looking sweets she had ever seen. She wanted to see and try everything, but Harry guided her towards a spiral staircase at the far end of the room.

"This one leads to the girls dorms. I think yours will be the third floor one, that's what ours is, but I'm not sure." He looked around, and spotted Hermione coming towards them. "'Mione, which floor is your dorm on?"

"The third. I'll take her up, you go get dressed."

"Thanks." Harry started to make his way across the room to the boy's dorm stairs, calling over his shoulder to Alice as he went, "I'll meet you down here in five minutes."

"Ok."

"It'll probably be more like ten to be honest." Hermione said with a smirk as they ascended the stairs. "The boys have a habit of messing up their room on the first night back, and then they can't find anything when they need it. It's a bit stupid really, but they've done it every year."

Alice laughed. "I'm not exactly great at keeping tidy myself, but I can try."

"Oh we're just as bad in the girl's dorm sometimes, but not after only one day back."

Hermione pushed open the door to the dorm, and Alice marvelled at the size of the room.

There were four single four-poster beds along the walls around the room. Between each was a large window with a comfy looking window seat. Each bed had a small bedside table, and a set of drawers at the end of the bed.

Hermione crossed to the middle bed on the left, placed her bag on the bed and started to empty it. "They're all going to have a bit of a surprise when they get back," she said, pointing to the empty bed next to hers. "That wasn't there this morning."

Alice walked towards the bed…her bed…and placed her bag in the centre.

It was all starting to feel a little crazy.

'_What the hell am I doing?' _She thought. '_I'm meant to be on a camping trip, not joining a magical school I know nothing about.'_

Hermione seemed to sense the change in Alice's mood, and stopped what she was doing. "It's ok to be scared you know." She said quietly as she approached her. "I was too on my first day; I can't imagine how I would feel starting now."

"I'm not scared." Alice tried to sound confident as she said this, but her voice wavered slightly. "I'm _not _; I'm excited…It's just…" She stopped, looking around the room as a bubble of nervous laughter escaped. "Ok. Maybe I'm a little bit scared."

Harry had just finished getting dressed when Ron entered the boy's dorm.

"So, how do you know the new girl already?" He asked, tipping the contents of his school bag out and grabbing a sugar quill.

Harry shrugged. "I don't. I just bumped into her. I took her to Dumbledore and she was sorted to Gryffindor. Hagrid's taking her to Diagon Alley; Dumbledore probably thought she'd like some company, someone her own age, and I was there."

Ron sat chewing his quill, his face screwed up in thought. "So, is she a transfer student from Beauxbatons or some other magic school?"

"No."

"So, where has she been?"

Harry paused, wondering what to say. He didn't want to tell Ron everything; although they were very good friends, Ron had a habit of never shutting his mouth. Harry didn't want Alice to come back from Diagon Alley to find everyone in the common room talking about her, before they had even met her. He knew what it felt like to be the gossip of the school, and he didn't want to make Alice feel that too. "Ron, it's not my story to tell ok?"

Before Ron could say anything more, Harry left the room.

Alice sat cross legged on her bed, facing Hermione. She was trying to think of a way to explain how she was feeling, without sounding like a complete idiot, but nothing was coming out.

"You know, I was terrified when I first started." Hermione said, a half smile on her face as she continued. "I never told anyone that, and I tried not to show it, but I was. Being a muggle-born, I was scared that I wouldn't be able to do half of what the other students could, and I pushed myself and worked hard to show that I could be just as good as they were, but I was still scared. I still am sometimes. It was hard, coming into this world after knowing nothing about it, but it's worth it."

"That's how I'm feeling! I didn't even know about all of this until about an hour ago, and now I've kind of thrown myself in at the deep end and I don't know if I'll be able to manage."

Hermione paused for a moment, trying to think of something to say that would put Alice at ease. "I think just the fact that it's only been an hour, and you have jumped in, shows that you have the courage and determination to do this." She smiled wistfully, "After all, the hat had to see some courage to put you in Gryffindor in the first place."

Before Alice could say anything in return, they heard Harry calling them both from the common room.

Hermione jumped up with a smile on her face, holding her hand out for Alice to join her. "Come on, or he'll try to get up here, and although it's amusing when that happens, it gets a little annoying." She glanced at Alice, noticing her confused expression. "Read 'Hogwarts: A History', then you'll understand." She supressed a smile, thinking about a certain paragraph within the book that had made her laugh so much when she read it.

Harry was waiting at the bottom of the stairs to the girl's dorm.

"Alice!" He called, attracting some attention from the students that lingered around the room. He was about to call again when he heard a door open, and Hermione's laughter drifting down the stairs. "Finally, what took you so long?"

Hermione came into view first, "Oh hush, Harry. We were just talking." The girls said their goodbyes as Hermione turned to find an available table, starting the mounds of homework she always seemed to have. Harry lead Alice out of the common room and back through the portrait.

"We need to go down to the owlery before we find Hagrid, so you can send a letter to your Mum." Harry said as they made their way down various flights of stairs.

Alice cringed, wondering how her Mum would take the news. As far as she knew, Alice was staying at Amy's house for two weeks to make the most of the end of summer. She had no idea that Amy's Mum thought Amy was at Alice's house, or that both girls had been on a camping trip for the whole time.

And that was the simple news.

How was she going to explain everything else?

When they finally reached the tall tower that held the owlery, Alice had partly worked out what she was going to say. Harry took a piece of parchment and a quill from a box on the wall, and handed them to Alice. He then walked across the room to a beautiful snowy owl and started to give her a few treats from his pocket.

Alice watched him for a moment, and then started to write.

Harry didn't want Alice to feel like he was eavesdropping on her letter, so he took his time giving Hedwig the treats he had collected from his room.

"It's been a while since you've had a job." He said quietly, stroking her wings softly. Harry remembered the looks he often got from Hedwig when he had sent her straight from one delivery to the next, and wondered if she preferred it now, with barely anything to keep her busy.

As Alice finished her letter and approached them, Hedwig nipped Harry's hand softy to regain his attention.

"Ouch. Oh, yeah. Come on then." Hedwig jumped down from her perch and landed neatly on Harrys arm, stretching out her wings. Harry smirked. "Show-off."

"Wow, she's beautiful." Alice said, reaching her hand out towards Hedwig. She stopped, looking quickly towards Harry. "She won't bite me, will she?"

"Possibly." Harry chuckled. "But it doesn't hurt, it's usually just a nip." As he finished, to show she had been listening and didn't like being spoken about, Hedwig nipped him again. "Ouch. Alright, sorry. Alice, this is Hedwig, my temperamental but ever so loveable owl. Happy?"

Hedwig appeared to tuck her wings and raise her head, nodding slightly in his direction. She turned towards Alice, who raised a hand to stroke her wings gently.

"Ive never seen an owl up close before." Alice whispered as Hedwig leaned into her touch. "We had a few in the garden of the house we stayed in last year, but anytime I got too close they flew away."

"Wizard owls are different I think. They deliver our letters, so we have to be able to get close to them." He reached up his spare hand, but Hedwig turned to nip him again. "Alright! What's got your feathers in a twist today?" The bird leaned back towards Alice, her eyes fluttering closed. Harry smiled. "I think she likes you."

"She's beautiful."

"That's probably why she likes you. She likes compliments." Before she could turn to nip him again, Harry took the letter from Alice's hand and held it in front of the bird. She stopped, closed her beak slowly, and extended her leg.

Alice was confused. "How will she know where to go?" She asked.

"You tell her. She'll remember, and she'll find it."

"Smart bird." Alice muttered, before telling her the address very clearly.

Hedwig bowed her head in a nod before stretching her wings once more and taking off into the air. Alice watched her circle high in the tower, sweeping low to pass Harry and flipping him with her wing, before flying out through the window.

Harry smiled slightly. "She's not very happy with me at the moment. She's not been very busy and she hates being bored."

Hagrid had just finished unpacking his satchel when he heard a knock at the door. Fang barked loudly and bounded towards it, knocking over Hagrids tea in the process.

"Just a minute." Hagrid called, picking up the large mug and throwing a towel on the puddle of brown liquid.

The door swung open and Hagrid chucked. "Should 'ave known it'd be you Harry. Barely been 'ome 5 minutes. Come in, come in." As Harry passed, Hagrid noticed the wide eyed girl who had been standing behind him. She remained motionless, staring up into his face. "Who's your friend?"

As he sat down, Harry motioned to the girl to come in. She did, moving slowly and never taking her eyes off Hagrid.

"Hagrid, this is Alice Hudson, she just arrived today. Alice, this is Rubeus Hagrid, the keeper of keys and grounds here at Hogwarts. And he also teaches Care of Magical Creatures." Fang was pawing at Harrys legs, nudging the boys hand with his giant head and wineing loudly. Harry smiled. "And this is Fang, he's a softy." Fang sighed happily as the boy started scratching him behind the ears.

Hagrid waved a giant hand in greeting before turning toward Harry. "How come your 'ere Harry? First day back, don't you have lessons?"

"Oh yeah, almost forgot." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the note, which Fang decided to slobber on. Harry chucked and handed the sodden parchment to Hagrid. He then took out the bag and gave that to him as well.

"So we're headin' to Diagon Alley, Miss Hudson. Din get a chance to buy your school things before now?" Hagrid asked as he closed the parchment and placed it on the table.

"It's Alice, sir. And no. I didn't even know about this place 'till today." Alice thought about telling him why, but wasn't sure what to say. She decided she would wait to hear back from her Mum before she said anything to anyone.

"Dumbledore also said that if I wanted to go, I could. If you agreed of course."

"I don' see why not, not if he said its ok." Hagrid turned on the spot, once, twice. Looking around the small cabin for something. "Now where did I…?" He mumbled to himself. "Aha!" He reached into the dog basket and took out his giant brown coat. Dusting it off, he looked towards Fang and muttered, "Ruddy dog." Though he was smiling affectionately.

Hagrid threw his coat over himself and picked up his pink umbrella. "Right, le's get goin' then."

The bus to Diagon Alley was, in Alice's opinon, the best she had ever been on.

They had walked down the long drive she had come down earlier that day, but just as they reached the fork in the road they stopped. Alice looked down the left side. If they were to follow this road, they would find her friends in the open field, oblivious to the adventure their friend had started. But they didn't turn.

Harry pulled a long, thin piece of wood out of his pocket. He stood right by the side of the road, and put his hand out into the empty space.

Alice was about to ask what he was doing, when a purple, three-storey, fast moving bus shot around the bend. It came to a screeching stop in front of them, and a pimple faced boy, not too much older than themselves, stepped off the back.

The boy pulled out a card from his pocket, and began speaking in a London accent. "Welcome to the Knight Bus, transportation for the stranded Witch or Wizard. My name is Stan Shunpike; I will be your conductor for today." He put the card away, and then looked up, a grin alighting his face. "Harry Potter!"

"Hi Stan." Harry said, forcing a smile as the older boy let them pass. They climbed onto the bus and sat on rickety chairs in the middle of the empty bus. "Leaky Cauldron, please." He said, and he handed over a few strange looking coins. Hagrid did the same, taking some out of his pocket and some from the small pouch Dumbledore had given him.

Alice payed no attention to the conversation between Harry and Stan, though she did notice the forced tone behind Harry's words. She was too interested in looking out of the window. As soon as they started moving, everything passed the bus in a blur; mailboxes, lampposts, and even houses seemed to jump out of the way.

Sooner than she would have liked, Stan was calling out their stop. She followed Hagrid and Harry off the bus, looking around at where they had stopped.

She recognised the place as London, and even the paint-peeled walls in front of her looked familiar. She had a vague recollection of asking her Mum about this place when she was a lot younger, and her Mum telling her it was closed down, and not to ask about it again. They moved very quickly after that.

But now, as Hagrid and Harry moved towards the peeling door, Alice had to wonder how many other places or things she had seen that her Mum had dismissed, trying to hide this world from her.

On the inside was a dark looking bar. It looked a bit old fashioned, but it was nicer than it appeared from the outside. They made their way through the bar and out into a small courtyard.

"What are we doing here? I thought we were shopping?" Alice asked. Harry didn't reply, but gestured for her to watch Hagrid.

Hagrid pulled out his pink umbrella and started counting the bricks around one missing brick. "Three up, two across." He muttered. He tapped a brick with the tip of the umbrella, then stood back.

Before Alice could ask her question again, the bricks in front of her started to move. They twisted and pushed, creating a gap in them big enough to fit Hagrid through. Alice stared at what she saw beyond the gap.

"Welcome, to Diagon Alley."

* * *

**Soooo, whadoyathink?**

**I'll try to get the next chapter out soon, it was deleted from my Dads computer before I had a chance to put it on my laptop so I've had to re-write it :/ might take me a week or so. Im also packing my room to move into my new student house so if I don't update soon, Im probably lost in a box somewhere, and you should send help.**

**On a more story-related note, I have started a new blog. It's mainly just a way to clear my head so I can try to finish my stories – its half done its job, I'm getting back into my writing, but it seems to be all new ideas – and also a way of explaining how I write. Basically its anything writing related, have a look and let me know what you think. If there is anything you want me to add on there, let me know.**

**So the address is**

**_Blockingtheblock . wordpress . com_**

**Obviously taking out the spaces.**

**Ok, thanks for reading :)**


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